This weekend fans will be treated to another slate of exciting college basketball action. The No. 1 and 2 teams in the land, Kentucky and Ohio State, are both on the road this Saturday taking on Indiana and Kansas, respectively.
Add in a bunch of other intriguing non-conference games, and there is plenty of hoops action this weekend to keep fans satisfied in-between putting up the Christmas tree and attending all of those exciting holiday parties.
Here are my top five college basketball games for the coming weekend.
UNLV at Wisconsin (14) (Saturday, 2:00 P.M. ET):
This weekend’s game between No. 14 Wisconsin and UNLV, who upset then No. 1 ranked North Carolina earlier in the season, is one of contrasting styles.
Wisconsin prefers a low-scoring, grind it out type of game, while UNLV prefers to push the tempo on offense.
The Badgers have recently lost two of the aforementioned grind it out type of games against North Carolina and Marquette.
But I fully expect their style of play to frustrate the Rebels into making impatient mistakes all game long, leading to a much needed win.
Ohio State (2) at Kansas (13) (Saturday, 3:15 P.M. ET, ESPN):
After close, early season losses to Duke and Kentucky, the Jayhawks will be looking to defeat their first ranked opponent this season.
And after missing last weekend’s game with back spasms, Jared Sullinger is expected to be back in action against the Jayhawks. The matchup between Sullinger and Kansas big man Thomas Robinson is a must see for any young, aspiring post players.
Kentucky (1) at Indiana (Saturday, 5:15 P.M. ET, ESPN):
It will take some true Hoosier magic for Indiana to upset No. 1 ranked Kentucky Saturday afternoon.
But despite the disparity in talent, this game between two storied basketball schools is worth a watch. If for nothing else, the names on the fronts of the two teams’ jerseys.
Michigan State at Gonzaga (23) (Saturday, 9:00 P.M. ET, ESPN 2):
The Bulldogs managed to stay in the top 25 this week despite an upset loss to Illinois on Saturday.
The Spartans, whose only two losses came against Duke and North Carolina, are looing for a quality non-conference win.
A win in Spokane could end up doing wonders for Tom Izzo’s group come selection Sunday.
Green Bay at Marquette (11) (Saturday, 9:00 P.M. ET):
This interstate rivalry between No. 11 Marquette and Horizon League hopeful Green Bay is my sleeper pick from this weekend’s slate of games.
Call me crazy, but something tells me the Phoenix will be giving the Golden Eagles everything they can handle.
Joshua Sexton is a lifelong basketball fanatic, who watches as many games as possible. In addition, He has played and coached the game at the high school level. He has recently started writing about the game of basketball.
